Strider, Meet Strider
by KiwiRaptor
Summary: You finally get to meet him. The man of legends. The coolest Strider to ever live.


You see him.

Standing next to the blind troll who wouldn't stop sniffing you. He's talking to her- actually, she's animatedly yapping up a storm as he stands there and listens. Occasionally his mouth with open, to utter a word or two before she's at it again, chatting his ears off.

His expression doesn't change. Not even for a second. It's the same stoic look, almost like he's too cool for anything else. And he is. You can see by the badass Ben Stiller shades balanced on his nose. He's the spitting image of your Bro, the great creator of the _Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff_ movovie series, head of the powerful media empire and rebel against the Batterwitch.

It's intimidating and you psyche yourself out, just a bit. You doubt whether you want to actually walk over there and confront him. Everyone else is having their happy reunions while you stand there alone, all awkward, trying not to look like the complete loser you are. It's only until Roxy comes tripping over, arm in arm with her mother who's smirking at you with this knowing look, that you're pushed in the direction of your guardian.

You stumble straight into him, no grace in the way you almost dive head first into the ground, interrupting the blind troll's monologue. He instinctively reaches out a hand to steady you. His voice scares you when you hear it for the first time; it's lower than you expected. "Whoa there, dude."

Slowly, ever so slowly, you look up. Orange meets red. There's a pause and a moment where you two just stare at each other, his hand still gripping onto your arm with strength that surprises you. You swear you see something behind those shades, a flicker of emotion, before the light reflecting off them blinds you- you flinch in response.

And before you know it he let's go of your hand and you're standing upright once more.

"Hey, TZ, can you give us a moment or something?" It then that you remember the alien girl standing at his side. She doesn't say a word, but sends you a maniacal grin, sharp teeth glinting dangerously. She takes a moment to take a red stick of chalk out of her pocket, take a careless lick before walking off. You catch her stick her teal tongue at the blonde clad in red before she's out of sight, an amused twitch of his lips answering her gesture. Soon you hear cackling and the angry cursing of the temperamental troll in the direction she disappeared.

It isn't long before you focus your attention back on him. It's just the two of you now; you're all alone. He's staring at you, face straining to be as expressionless as ever, appearing to ooze calm and collectiveness. "Hey."

You just stand there, watching him, unresponsive. You don't know what to say and this frustrates you- you _always_ know what to say. Yet, in this moment, facing the man that was the closest thing you had to a parental figure- not that you needed one- you have no words.

It turns out, you don't need any.

Before you know what's happening, strong arms grab hold of you and bring you forward into a crushing hug. You feel the other tuck his chin on your shoulder, his blonde hair tickling under your nose and smelling of apples. He mumbles, "I've missed you."

You aren't sure on what to do. Your outstretched hands don't know where to place themselves in this unfamiliar show of affection; living the solitary life you've had hasn't prepared you for these kinds of interactions. Obviously you know what you _should_ do, but that doesn't mean it would come naturally. Eventually though, you place your arms around him in an effort to return the hug, albeit an awkward one. His hold you tightens and you two just stand there, motionless.

You almost start enjoying the human contact when he steps out of the hug. Your hands drop limply to your sides as you watch him rub the back of his neck, as if he's embarrassed.

"Sorry dude, don't know what came over me." You want to say that it's fine and that you don't mind, but you're mind still isn't functioning properly. It doesn't help that he takes a moment to take off his shades, unnerving you completely as his crimson eyes pin you to the spot. They're full of emotion, contrasting drastically with the impassive expression that seems permanently edged into his face. "Shit, it's just that you look like someone I use to know."

That last phrase catches your attention and you realize immediately what he's implying. You finally recognize the emotions swirling in those eyes, eyes that have already seen more than their fair share of the universe and the pain it provides: grief, regret and… hope.

"I'm sorry." It's the first thing that comes out of your mouth. You honestly don't know what it's supposed to be for, your apology. You aren't sure if what you're sorry for is the loss of his guardian or for knowing that you can't be the replacement he's hoping for. You take off your shades, feeling that it needs to be done; your eyes glance at the ground before meeting his gaze right on.

He seems to sense what you mean even if you don't. A flash of pain crosses his face before it's smoothed over once again. "It's cool."

You offer him a small smile in an effort to smooth the moment over. He looks to be grateful for that as both end of his lips tilt upward. He extends his hand forward and you grip onto his forearm. Things only get cooler when you both return you shades to their rightful place, balanced perfectly on the bridges of your noses.

"So… Know any good raps?" It's your lame attempt to get a new, less personal conversation started. You're surprised when he nods, not too eagerly, but enthusiastic nonetheless.

You then commence to have the greatest rap battle in the history of whatever universe you're residing in.


End file.
